According to the latest data from Flickr, Apple's iPhone is not only a popular digital camera in its own right among consumers, it's also the preferred camera of choice overall.

The numbers from Flickr don't lie. The iPhone's camera is such a hot commodity with users that many folks now view their smartphone as their primary digital camera. In a head-to-head match-up, the iPhone finishes ahead of some pretty serious competition in the digital camera industry.

In particular, the iPhone 4 beats out the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Nikon D90, Canon EOS REBEL T2i, and Canon EOS 7D.
It is the most popular digital camera and cameraphone.

Analyst Ben A. Reitzes of Barclays told investors this week that Apple's smartphone remains "the digital camera of choice for consumers and enthusiasts." Reitzes maintains that the camera's quality is just one aspect of the iPhone's popularity. The convenience, ability to quickly share images, and pretty snazzy photo editing tools have all contributed to the device's reputation as a leading digital camera.

"This usability helps warrant a premium for the product and creates stickiness with software that connects consumers with other Apple products," Reitzes said.

No surprise here. The amount of people who take casual group and scenery photos on vacation or road trips with a convenient phone in their pocket will always VASTLY outnumber those who do professional photography that requires the use of much higher-performing cameras and optics.